Fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, supply energy for transportation, industrial manufacturing, production of electricity, and the like. Combustion of fossil fuels generates sulfuric, carbonic, and nitric acids, which fall on the Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the environment. Further, burning of fossil fuel results in the emission of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. Fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy as they require millions of years to be formed, also the known reserves of fossil fuels are being depleted at a much faster rate than the new ones being formed. Reconciliation
In the present scenario, the demand for fuels such as petrol, diesel, kerosene and the like is increasing rapidly. Fuel is generally obtained by refining crude oil. Due to the increasing demand for fuel, the reserves of crude oil are depleting. Therefore, there is a need to focus on alternative sources, like biomass, for obtaining fuel. Biomass, particularly algae, has a potential to become a viable feedstock due to its high oil content and environmentally-friendly nature. The fuel obtained by processing the biomass is termed as “biofuel”. It is found that biofuels can be used as a source of energy for vehicles, and for generating electricity, etc. Conventional processes such as fermentation, extraction, gasification, pyrolysis and the like, are widely used for converting the oil contained in the biomass, particularly in algae, to biofuel. Algae are a promising source for biofuel as they have high energy content and are characterized by fast growth in the presence of carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. During photosynthesis, algae are capable of capturing carbon dioxide and sunlight and convert it into oxygen and biomass.
Various catalysts are known for conversion of biomass to biofuel. However, conventional processes using known catalysts require long extraction time, have low conversion efficiency, have limited product range, low yield, generate waste products and are energy and cost intensive.
Therefore, there is felt a need to provide a catalyst system and a process for preparing fuel from biomass that overcomes the drawbacks mentioned herein above.